WWE NXT Spotlight: 7/19/17 by Kurt Zamora

Welcome one and all to another great installment of the NXT Spotlight. After three straight weeks of title defenses, we now start to set the stage for Takeover: Brooklyn. We start with a #1 Contender’s Match for the NXT Title tonight between Killian Dain and Drew McIntyre. Let’s get right to it.

Ruby Riot vs. Ember Moon

A little bit of a new look for Ruby with a new hairstyle. Dueling chants to start the match. Both women counter holds and multiple pin attempts to start the match. They end up in a stalemate and then have a sign of respect with a slap of the hands. Ruby showcases some really nice offense, but Ember ends up countering a monkey flip by landing on her feet. The crowd popped for that as we get to another stalemate. Now we have what may be the first test of strength I’ve seen in a women’s match. Ruby ends up on the offense and does a nice headscissors takedown. Ember comes back with a snapmare and drop toe hold and then hooks Ruby in a bow & arrow submission. Ruby gets out and hits a stiff back elbow. She then does her headscissors that drives Ember’s face into the second turnbuckle. She follows up with a high angle back suplex and gets a two count on Ember. Ember comes back with a couple kicks and then hits a Reality Check combination for a two count. We go to commercial as Ember stands over Ruby.

We come back to both women in the corner and Ruby with the advantage. She trips Ember and goes to the top rope and comes down full force with a senton splash. She goes for a pin but Ember manages to kick out again. Ruby comes with a running knee but Ember moves out of the way and nails Ruby with a spinning side slam. Ruby manages to kick out. Ember goes to the top rope but Ruby cuts her off. Ruby climbs up and hits a nice looking top rope hurricanrana, but Ember once again kicks out. Ruby with some hard shots at Ember, but Ember catches a kick and then connects with one hell of a Roaring Elbow. She then nails a dropkick and another modified side slam. Ruby is in the corner and Ember comes at her with her handspring forearm. That gives Ember the chance to go up top and there is The Eclipse for the win.

Winner: Ember Moon

K-Tank’s Take: That was a HELL of a match. Easily Riot’s best showing since coming on NXT. Probably an argument can be made that it was Ember’s best showing too. The women’s division has been in such a state of limbo as of late, but between this match and the Last Woman Standing match 3 weeks ago, it seems we’re finally getting to that next generation of the Revolution.

We go to “earlier today” where Kassius Ohno is talking to some media members about his time in NXT the second go round. Hideo Itami interrupts and asks if Ohno asked for a match against him next week. Ohno says yes, because he told Itami that he was going to let his actions do his talking. Itami is not happy about it and kicks over a trash can on his way out.

We get a vignette for The Street Profits who are coming soon to NXT.

Oney Lorcan vs. Danny Burch

There’s an argument to be made that Oney Lorcan is my favorite superstar in NXT right now. I just love this guy. Multiple tie-ups and clean breaks to start the match, but of course neither man wants to give an inch so a lot of those breaks go close to the 5 count. Burch actually connects on a somewhat cheap shot and goes on the offensive. He comes off the second rope with a front dropkick on Lorcan. Burch gets Lorcan on the top rope and grabs him in basically a draping RKO from the top rope. Nigel calls it the Tower of London but Lorcan manages to kick out. Burch tries to stay with the advantage but Lorcan hits a running blockbuster out of nowhere and then a running European uppercut. Both men get up at the same time and go face to face. They start trading European uppercuts and then Lorcan decides just slap the complete hell out of Burch. Burch comes back with a vicious lariat and then a Powerbomb that looked a little sloppy but just fell in line with the physicality of this. Lorcan manages to kick out of a pin though. Burch has a busted nose. Lorcan tries a move off the second rope, Burch moves out of the way but turns around into a Single Leg Crab by Lorcan and Burch ends up having to tap out.

Winner: Oney Lorcan

Post match, Lorcan offers a hand shake and Burch accepts it but he wants one more match with Lorcan. Lorcan agrees to it.

K-Tank’s Take: One more match? Yes please! Lorcan is just a pure throwback and makes everything he does feel real. I really feel Lorcan is the next Tye Dillinger as he wasn’t designed to be the star of anything, but got himself over and became a star. I think he’s on the cusp of that.

No Way Jose vs. Cezar Bononi

Jose starts with a wristlock as the crowd is SOLIDLY behind him. Bononi gets Jose in the corner and elbows him in the back of the head and then beats him down. He sends Jose to the ropes and lands a great looking dropkick, especially for someone his size. Bononi now with some knee strikes but Jose fights back with some double chops and then a modified suplex. A couple clotheslines and now his arm sleeve comes off and it’s time for the pop up knockout punch and that’s the match.

Winner: No Way Jose

Post match, Andrade Almas and the not yet NXT named Thea Trinidad are at ringside and Almas comes into the ring and attacks Bononi. Almas challenges Jose to come after him but as Jose rushes the ring, Almas leaves and will wait for another day.

K-Tank’s Take: I feel kinda bad for Jose as he is a huge crowd favorite, but it seems like the company lost faith in him sometimes during the angle he was a part of with Sanity during WrestleMania weekend. He was taken off that show and hasn’t seemed to recover ever since. I’d love to see more for him. As for Almas, hopefully Trinidad can bring something new out of him and give him that other layer he needs to get out of the rut he’s been in.

#1 Contender’s Match – NXT Title
Drew McIntyre vs. Killian Dain

Dain comes out by himself and to a very badass remix of the Sanity theme song. Only 12 minutes left when the bell rings. I expected more time for this match. Both men try to exert their power to start with. McIntyre with some punches and then forearm shots in the corner. He goes to the top rope and comes down with the ax handle smash. Dain fights off McIntyre and drills him with his running cross body. It literally stopped McIntrye dead in his tracks and he falls awkwardly as we go to commercial.

We return to Dain beating McIntyre down in the corner. Big Irish whip to the other corner and McIntyre hits hard and bouces off. Dain continues more of a beatdown in the corner. A trio of elbow drops follow, with a running elbow drop after for good measure. Dain goes for a couple pin attempts but McIntyre kicks out. Crossface shots and an elbow to the top of the head of McIntyre follow. Dain locks on a neck wrench. Drew finally fights it off and lands a jaw breaker, but Dain comes right back with a clothesline. Dain sets McIntyre up on the top rope and goes to the second rope himself. McIntyre slides off and counters Dain into a powerbomb off the second rope. Dain manages to kick out of a pin. Both men up and trading blows. McIntyre lands a big boot and then a running clothesline. McIntyre connects with the White Noise, or as Mauro is calling it, a Fit Finlay drop. McIntyre goes for his Yazuka kick but Dain moves and connects with Wasteland and then a senton splash. Dain sets up McIntyre for a Vader Bomb and lands it but McIntyre still kicks out. Dain gets McIntyre up for Ulster Plantation but McIntyre escapes. He wants the Future Shock DDT but Dain reverses it into a Butterfly suplex of sorts. Dain lands a powerbomb and another elbow drop but McIntyre still able to kick out. He puts McIntyre up on the top rope again and this time he’s able to connect with a Fisherman’s suplex off the second rope. McIntyre again able to kick out. Both men get up and McIntyre grabs him for the Future Shock and connects. Dain is out at one though! McIntyre is in shock but sets up for the Yakuza Kick, which they’re calling the Claymore, and Dain is up before a pin attempt! McIntyre can’t believe it. The crowd chants for one more, McIntyre knows he has to nail it again, and does. This time Dain stays down for the three.

Winner: Drew McIntyre

Post match, McIntyre yells into the hard camera that this is not Roode’s NXT anymore. He is Drew McIntyre and he is coming for his championship.

K-Tank’s Take: This was a bit of a double edge sword for me. They gave Dain a lot, but there wasn’t much time in this match and it just seemed like a lot for McIntyre to be able to kick out of in such a short amount of time. They did make Dain look good in the sense that he kicked out early of the Future Shock and it took two finishers. As of right now it’s McIntyre vs. Roode for Takeover: Brooklyn, but I can’t believe that we’ve heard the last of Roderick Strong.

That’s it for this week. We’ll be back next week for that Ohno vs. Itami match and whatever else may come. Until next time, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do… but if you do, name it after me!